Liquid dispensing apparatus



Feb. 26, 1963 1 H. KNIBB LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2, 1962 Rui. iillllllllllninlnlu.,

Aiuhrl Af ERO Y H. KN/a 3,078,471 LiQUlD DISPENSKNG APPARATUS Leroy H. Knibb, 181 E. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill. Filed Feb. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 170,563 Claims. (Cl. 1 -159) The improved dispensing apparatus comprising the present invention has been designed for use primarily in connection with the dispensing of liquid shampoo preparations directly onto the head or hair 0f the person undergoing shampoo treatment. The invention is, however, capable of other uses and dispensing apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention may be employed, with or without modiiication as required, for dispensing other liquids as liquid soap, hand or facial creams, liquid deodorants and a wide variety of similar cosmetic preparations of a liquid or `semi-liquid nature. Irxespective, however, of the particular use to which the present invention may be put, the essential features thereof are at all times preserved.

The invention will be found particularly useful in connection with lavatory bowls such as are utilized in barber shops, beauty parlors and other places where the hair and scalp are the subject of treatment, and over which bowls shampooing operations take place. Accordingly, the invention has been disclosed herein as being applied to such a lavatory bowl.

Heretofore, in connection with the lavatory bowls of professional establishments of the hereto-fore mentioned type, such bowls are invariably provided with hot and cold Water taps for hair wetting and rinsing purposes yand usually the preparations which are -to be applied t0 the hair of a customer are kept on a remote shelf in individual bottles having shaker tops so that it is necessary to transport them to the scene of operations. After the required quantity of the preparation has been applied t0 the hair of the customer, the bottle is temporarily placed on the ledge region of the lavatory bowl while the actual shampoo massage is performed, the bottle thus being available for repeated applications of its contents if desired. Ordinarily the bottle is not restored to its position on the shelf until the final rinse and the preli-minary drying operation with a towel has been completed. Inasmuch as liquid shampoo preparations are invariably of a saponaceous nature, they are slippery to the touch and bottles thus temporarily positioned on the ledge region of a lavatory bowl frequently are dropped during handling or are knocked over inadvertently during normal shampooing operations with the resultant danger of bottle fracture and loss of the contents. To obviate this difficulty, some establishments employ lavatory bowlS having built-in shampoo pumps, these consisting of conventional faucet type lift or suction pumps or, in some instances, force pumps, by means of which the shampoo liquid, which is stored in quantity in a container beneath the lavatory bowl, is raised above the level of the bowl where it may be deposited in the hand of the operator for application to the hair or applied directly onto the hair.r Such lift or force pumps employ depressible plungers which are permanently installed in openings in the bowl rim surface and cannot be removed therefrom during normal operation thereof so that much liquid is lost in transferring the shampoo preparation by hand from the pump faucet to the hair. Additionally, due to the permanency of the installation, the pump ttings are difiicult to clean and are thus subject to accumulation of dried liquid. Finally, installations of this character draw the liquid from the lower regions of the container beneath the lavatory bowl so that, in the absence of a means for agitating the contents of the container, set- 'ded concentrations of the liquid are frequently pumped 3,078,471 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 lCC to the bowl with a consequent loss of liquid strength for subsequent applications.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above-noted limitations that are attendant upon the construction and use of conventional shampoo dispensing systems for lavatory bowls and, toward this end, the iuvention contemplates the provision of a novel liquid dispensing apparatus or system which incorporates as a functional element thereof a portable pump assembly which normally seats or rests by gravity upon a specic iitting provided for it on a lavatory bowl and which thus remains accessible at all times for limited transportation 'from its seated position on the bowl to the head of the customer, the pump assembly being adapted for return to its normally seated position immediately after use where it may remain during the shampoo massage operation or during rinsing operations and in readiness for a subsequent use.

The provision of a portable pump assembly and seat fitting therefor as briefly outlined above being the principal object of the invention, it is a further object t0 provide such an assembly wherein the seat tting is perv:rnanently installed within an opening in the rim ledge of the lavatory bowl and is itself provided with an opening therethrough for passage of a flexible riser tube whereby the pump may be operatively connected through the fitting to a source of the shampoo liquid beneath the bowl.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an apparatus of this character a pump assembly and seat tting wherein means are provided for `detiecting drippings away from the central opening in the fitting so that such drippings will not pass through the bowl and be deposited o-n the floor therebeneath. l

A still further object of the invention is to provide a portable pump arrangement of this character and wherein the riser tube which extends from the storage bottle or other container to the pump proper is provided with agitatin-g means for the contents of the container, such agitating means being capable of manipulation by the operator from above the lavatory bowl so that -it is not necessary for the operator to stoop for the purpose of shaking the container beneath the bowl or otherwise effecting agitation of the liquid contents of the container.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel means for heating the individual pumped quantities or charges of the dispensed liquid so that they may be applied to the head of the customer at an elevated temperature. l

The provision of a dispensing apparatus for shampoo liquids and similar cosmetic preparations which is comprised largely of standard or commercially available materials, parts and assemblies and, therefore, may be manufactured at a relatively low cost; one which is simple in its construction and, therefore, is unlikely to get out of order; one which is rugged and durable and, therefore, will withstand rough usage; one which is capable of ease of assembly and dismantlement for purposes of inspection of parts, replacement or repair; one which may be supplied as original equipment on a lavatory bowl or applied to an existing bowl; one which is capable of being easily cleaned; one which is attractive in its appearance and pleasing in its design; and one which, otherwise, is well adapted to perform the services required of it, are further desirable features which have been borne in mind in the production and development of the present invention.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will become more readily apparent as the following description ensues.

In the accompanying single sheet of drawings form- `tially centrally and vertically through a portable pump assembly and a seat fitting therefor, the pump assembly and fitting being constructed according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially centrally and vertically through a container employed in connection with the present apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIG. 1, the dispensing apparatus of the present invention is shown as being operatively installed in connection with a lavatory bowl 10. The latter may be one of the bowls in use in a barber shop or beauty parlor where hair shampoo operations are conducted in the course of business. ,It is of conventional design and is shown as being operatively mounted upon a wall structure 12 and `provided with the usual hot and cold water faucet controls 14 and 16 and a drain pipe 18.

The bowl portion proper 20 is provided with the usual rim ledge 22 having a rolled edge 23. The forward central region of this ledge is provided with a trough-like depression 24 to accommodate the neck of a user when the head is centered above the bowl portion proper for shampooing operations such as the massage or the rinsing operation. t

The lavatory bowl 1t) is seated in the usual manner upon the upper rim portion of a cabinet structure 26 which extends to the floor surface 2S and is provided with hinged Vcabinet doors 39 leading to an internal cabinet enclosure 32.

The arrangement of parts thus far described is purely vconventional and no claim is made herein to any novelty associated with the same, the novelty of the present invention residing rather in the particular liquid dispensing apparatus which is associated with the bowl and the cabinet structure 25 and will now be more fully described.

Still re-ferring to FIG. l, the bowl and the cabinet structure are shown as having operatively installed thereon a dual dispensing arrangement or system wherein two different shampoo or other liquid hair preparations may be selectively applied to the hair of a user. This dual dispensing arrangement is composed of two individual liquid pumping systems which in no way are related to each other except for their mutual installation on the same bowl and cabinet assembly. The two systems are identical and, therefore, a description of one of them will suffice for the other. Each system involves in its general organization a pump assembly 5t) (see FlG. 2), a container 52 for the liquid shampoo or other hair preparation, a conduit assembly 54 for conducting liquid from the container to the pump assembly 5t), and a seat fitting 56 for the pump assembly. The seat fitting 56 is operatively installed within an opening 5S in the rim ledge 22 of the bowl 1); the pump assembly is adapted to seat removably upon the fitting S6; the conduit assembly 54 is, in part, flexible and extends between the inlet side of the pump assembly and the container 52; v/hile the container is adapted to be removably stored within the cabinet enclosure 32.

The pump assembly 50y is of more or less conventional design except for the novel cooperation thereof with the lseat fitting 56 whereby it may, at will and conveniently,

be applied to and removed from the fitting when occasion demands. It may be in the form of a conventional lift pump, or it may assume the form of a conventional force pump but in the illustrated form of the invention the assembly 50 is shown as being in the form of a lift pump having an outer pump casing Gli (see FiG. 2) of generally cylindrical design and provided with an open upper rim 62. The upper end region of the casing is exteriorly threaded as at d4 for threaded reception thereover of a combined closure head and seating ring 66. The seating ring 66 is formed with a vertical bore 68 therethrough and a threaded counterbore 70 which is threadedly received over the exteriorly threaded upper end region 64 of the casing dil. A second counterbore 72 affords a downwardly facing annular seating flange "73 which is designed for removable engagement with the upper rim 74 of the seat fitting S6 in a manner and for a purpose that will be set forth presently.

The bore 58 in the seating ring 66 is adapted slidably to receive therethrough the stem portion 76 of a pump plunger 78, the plunger having at its lower end an enlarged head portion which is reciprocable within the cylindrical pump casing 60. An elastomeric O-ring 82 is carried by the head portion 811 and serves to effect a sliding seal between the head portion 8% and the wall of the casing 60. The plunger 7S is lformed with a central bore 84 therethrough and an enlarged vcounterbore 86 at 'the upper end ofthe bore b4. A shoulder SS at the juncture between the bore d4 and the counterbore 86 aifords a seat for the ball 90, Vthe ball and seat constituting a check valve within the plunger 78. A closure cap 92 is threadedly received in the upper end of the counterbore S6. The counterbore 86 communicates through a dispensing spout 94 with the atmosphere around the pump assembly 50.

The lower end region of the casing 60 is reduced as at and communicates Ywith an elongated tubular inlet nipple 102 which depends from the casing. The lower end of the nipple receives thereover one end of a flexible hose 104i having an appreciable extent of slack as indicated `at 105 and constitutes an element of the previously mentioned conduit assembly 54. A ball 1116 seats upon the open upper end of the nipple 102 and, in combination therewith, constitutes a -second check valve for the pump assembly. A helical compression spring 108 has its lower end seated on a shoulder 109 and its upper end which serves yieldingly to urge the plunger 78 upwardly and maintain the same in its extended position wherein the upper end of the head portion S0 abuts against the -shoulder at the upper end of the counterbore 70 in the seating ring 66 at the upper end of the casing 6u.

In the operation of the pump assembly 50, downward pressure on the closure cap 92 will operate to depress the plunger 78, whereupon the ball @il will become unseated and yany liquid which may be present in the casing 60 will pass upwardly through the bore 84 and the counterbore S6 and be expelled through the dispensing spout 94. Upon release of such downward pressure, the spring 103 will restore the plunger to its up or extended position and, during restoration thereof, the ball 90 will be come seated and exclude the entrance of air into the casing 6) while the ball 166 will become unseated and hence permit a fresh charge of the liquid lto be admitted into the casing 611 under the influence of the subatmospheric pressure which is developed within the casing.

The liquid which is thus drawn upwardly into the pump casing 6i) is obtained from the container S2. Accordingly, in addition to the flexible hose 104, the conduit assembly 54 includes a draw pipe 110 which projects into the container and has its lower end 112 open and normally disposed adjacent to the bottom of the container. The container which has been selected for illustration in the drawings hereof is in the form of a bottle having a restricted, externally threaded neck portion 114 which is closed by means of a threaded closure cap 116. The draw pipe projects loosely through an opening 118 in the top wall of the closure cap 116 and carries at its lower end region a fixed washer 120 which serves as an agitator iin when the draw pipe 110 is worked up and down through the opening 118.- Up and down movement of .the draw pipe operates through the medium of the washer to stir or agitate the contents of the container and thus disperse any material which may have settled out in liquid and accumulated in the bottom region of the container. The lower end 112 of the draw pipe 110 is maintained slightly elevated from the bottom wall of the container 52 by means of a washer 122 which is attached to the medial portion of the draw pipe, this washer being adapted to seat upon the closure cap 116 as shown in FIG. 3.

The extreme lower end region of the draw pipe 110 is provided with a valve seat 124 for a ball 126, the ball and seat constituting a check valve which serves to inhibitdownflow of liquid in the draw pipe when the pump assembly 50 is not in operation. The draw pipe 110 is crimped as at 128 at a region directly above the ball 126 so as to limit the upward movement of the ball within the draw pipe.

The seat fitting 56 is in the form of a tubular member having an enlarged head portion 130 and, in addition, -a reduced shank portion 132 which depends from the head portion and is exteriorly threaded as at 134. A downwardly facing annular shoulder 136 is provided at the juncture of the head and shank portions and is adapted to seat upon the rim ledge 22 of the bowl 10 when the shank portion l132 i-s projected through the hole 58. A nut 138 is threadedly received on the shank portion 132 and serves to retain the seat fitting in operative position on the bowl 10. The head portion 130 is of upwardly tapering design and terminates in the previously mentioned narrow rim 74. This rim 74 consti- .tutes a seat proper for the annular seating iiange 73 of the seating ring 66 and, consequently, for the entire pump assembly 50 as a whole. The fitting 56 is formed with a central vertical -bore 140 therethrough and within this ybore the pump casing 60 is adapted to be removably and telescopically received with a fairly loose fit as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, means are provided for heating each charge of liquid immediately prior to its introduction thereof into the pump casing 60. This means assumes the form of an annular heating coil 150 which surrounds lthe nipple 102 and is suspended by means of a anged suspension ring 152 from the lower end of the shank portion 132 of the seat fitting 56. The heating coil 150 is adapted to be electrically energized and, accordingly, it may be operatively connected to a source of electrical current through the medium of a conventional cord 154 and a wall plug 156.

When it is desired to put to use either of the two pump assemblies 50 in order to dispense the shampoo or other liquid contained in its associated container 52, it is merely necessary for the operator to lift the selected assembly from its position on the associated seat fitting 56, the assembly being freely movable vertically so that the nipple 102 will be drawn upwardly through the bore 140 after the pump casing 60 has been removed therefrom. The exible tube 104 will also be drawn through the bore 140 in the seat fitting 56 to the extent necessary to allow the dispensing spout to -be brought into proximity with the head of the person being operated upon. By grasping the casing 60 in the palm of the hand and utilizing the thumb for plunger-depressing purposes, the pump assembly may be operated in the usual manner to apply measured quantities of the liquid to the hair and scalp. The liquid will be drawn upwardly from the lower region of the container 52 through the conduit assembly 54, as previously described, for application purposes. After the pump assembly has served its purpose, it may be replaced in the seat fitting 56 and, when so replaced, the down- Wardly facing annular flange 73 will rest upon the rim 74 of the seat fitting 56 and the cylindrical counter-bore 72 will encompass this rim and prevent lateral shifting of the pump assembly so that the latter will always seat squarely upon said fitting. The seating ring 66 forms an umbrella-like closure for the upper rim 74 of the seat Ifitting so that extraneous liquid will not seep downwardly through the bowl opening 58. The heating coil radiates heat inwardly toward the elongated nipple 102 and, inasmuch as this nipple, as well as the pump casing 60 thereabove, is formed of a metal which possesses high heat-conducting characteristics, heat will flow upwardly to maintain the entire pump casing 6G warm so that each charge of liquid introduced thereinto through the lower check valve opening will enter the casing in a heated condition and remain heated until used.

From time to time, the operator may agitate the contents of either container 52 merely by vertically reciproeating the conduit assembly 54 associated therewith, the operation being performed from below the bowl upon opening the cabinet doors 30. Such vertical movements of the assembly 54 will cause the washer 120 within the container 32 to function in the manner of a paddle or agitator fin to agitate the contents of the container.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spiirt or scope of the invention. Therefore, only insofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dispensing apparatus for liquid shampoo and similar preparations, the combination with a lavatory bowl or the like having a vertically disposed opening provided through the ledge portion thereof, of a tubular seat fitting having an enlarged head portion supported upon the upper rim region of the opening and a shank portion projecting into the opening, means fixedly securing said shank portion within said opening, said head portion presenting a narrow upwardly facing seating rim, a pump assembly removably disposed on said seat fitting and including a pump casing provided with a lateral seating iiange, said casing being designed for telescopic reception within the tubular seat fitting so that said seating flange rests by gravity upon said upwardly facing seating rim, a depressible plunger provided with a discharge spout and having a plunger head reciprocable in the casing and a plunger stem projecting outwardly of the casing, an inlet nipple depending from said casing, a liquid container 'disposed beneath said lavatory bowl, and a flexible conduit assembly operatively connecting said liquid container land inlet nipple.

2. A dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the seat fitting is provided with a cylindrical bore therethrough and the pump casing is of generally cylindrical configuration and normally ts loosely in the bore.

3. A dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim l and wherein said exible conduit assembly includes a draw pipe which projects downwardly and loosely into the container, and extends normally to a region adjacent to the bottom of the latter, `and is provided on its lower end with an agitator fin.

4. A dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim l and including, additionally, a heating coil effectively suspended from said lavatory bowl and normally surrounding said inlet nipple.

5. A dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim `1 and including, additionally, means associated with the pump casing an-d defining a marginal wall surrounding said seating iiange, said marginal wall normally encompassing said upwardly facing seating rim of the head portion of the seat fitting when the pump assembly is disposed on said seat Refeences Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Buttne Au'g. 4, 1931 S Gray June 23, 1936 Bachelier Sept. 12, 1950 Pittenger Sep. 11, 1951 Dobkin Mar. 24, 1959 Rosenthal Nov. 24, 1959 

1. IN A DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR LIQUID SHAMPOO AND SIMILAR PREPARATIONS, THE COMBINATION WITH A LAVATORY BOWL OR THE LIKE HAVING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED OPENING PROVIDED THROUGH THE LEDGE PORTION THEREOF, OF A TUBULAR SEAT FITTING HAVING AN ENLARGED HEAD PORTION SUPPORTED UPON THE UPPER RIM REGION OF THE OPENING AND A SHANK PORTION PROJECTING INTO THE OPENING, MEANS FIXEDLY SECURING SAID SHANK PORTION WITHIN SAID OPENING, SAID HEAD PORTION PRESENTING A NARROW UPWARDLY FACING SEATING RIM, A PUMP ASSEMBLY REMOVABLY DISPOSED ON SAID SEAT FITTING AND INCLUDING A PUMP CASING PROVIDED WITH A LATERAL SEATING FLANGE, SAID CASING BEING DESIGNED FOR TELESCOPIC RECEPTION WITHIN THE TUBULAR SEAT FITTING SO THAT SAID SEATING FLANGE RESTS BY GRAVITY UPON SAID UPWARDLY FACING SEATING RIM, A DEPRESSIBLE PLUNGER PROVIDED WITH A DISCHARGE SPOUT AND HAVING A PLUNGER HEAD RECIPROCABLE IN THE CASING AND A PLUNGER STEM PROJECTING OUTWARDLY OF THE CASING, AN INLET NIPPLE DEPENDING FROM SAID CASING, A LIQUID CONTAINER DISPOSED BENEATH SAID LAVATORY BOWL, AND A FLEXIBLE CONDUIT ASSEMBLY OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID LIQUID CONTAINER AND INLET NIPPLE. 